Running Out of Time
by Sakura88
Summary: Sequel to I Turn To You. Mariah is sent to the hospital with the rest of the Bladebreakers but something terrible happens when she gets there! RR plz and ty! CHAPTER 4 UP FINALLY!
1. Old Enemy

Me: Yo all again! It's me Sakura88 the lazy one lol. 

Ray: Yes, I agree, you ARE lazy.

Max: I Like Suga!! *starts eating another pixie stik*

Me: Why did I have him here again?

Mariah: Cuz you thought that he would not be hyper?

Me: Right... remind me to never get him in the side fic ever again!

Tyson: Wow, your fridge is filled with goodies, like chocolate milk, butter cream cake, chocolate ice cream...

Me: YOU RAIDED MY FRIDGE TYSON?!?!?!

Tyson: Errr... no?

Me: Why do I have these two crazy people in my side fic? -_-;

Josh (my oc character): Cuz they're two of the main characters in the beyblade show?

Me: Hum... *writes down a note to herself* Anyways, this is the sequel of I Turn To You! Enjoy!! :) 

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADES!! If I did, Mariah and Ray would have been together ages ago!!

'thoughts'

"speaking"

~~~ is time change

~*~

Running Out of Time Chapter 1 

~~~

Flashes of red reflected off the tree trunks from the spinning lights atop of an ambulance truck. A stretcher that had a body upon it was being rolled away to the back of the automobile. A teenage boy entered the back while four others sat in the front.

"The fastest way to Urmeshi Hospital is by this route. The other roads are very busy." A paramedic said to his colleague.

"Very well, we have to reach the hospital immediately before she loses all her blood," he answered and the two men climbed into the truck. A siren blared and the ambulance left Victoria Park.

'Urmeshi Hospital eh? My master will be pleased that I have found out where the Bladebreakers are headed.' The person slipped into the darkness.

~~~

"This is unacceptable!" A man of sixty-eight roared and slammed his fists on the mahogany table ratting the objects on it. "You should have gotten this girl's bitbeast by now! You had two months to get it and what do I have? Nothing in my hands!! I should dispose of you right now!!"

"I'm sorry sir. It's this raven-haired boy's entire fault! His bitbeast destroyed my blade." Josh Pickford replied with his green eyes staring at the floor. His other teammates did not dare to look into the face of their boss.

"How can he have destroyed your blade? I gave you the strongest bitbeast in the lab! You would have destroyed his instead!"

"The bitbeast that we were trying to steal helped him. It was because their masters cared for each other."

The man was about to say something but it was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Come in."

"Master, the Bladebreakers are headed to Urmeshi Hospital with the girl."

"Good work. Dark Vipers, I still have some use of you after all! I'm giving you one last chance to prove yourselves. I have a plan that will get me the two bitbeasts. With those in my grasp, nothing can stand in my way!" He laughed evilly.

"Sir, are you going to tell us the plan?" Josh asked.

"It will be revealed when the time comes. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind. Also, if you screw up my plan again, you will meet the same fate as the Demolition Boys! Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." Josh and his team left the room.

"Devon, Keep an eye on that team. Make sure they don't mess up this time."

"Yes Master Voltaire." Devon bowed and left the room.

Voltaire stood up and walked towards the glass window.

"A new era will be fallen upon Earth and you will all bow down to me Bladebreakers. Mark my words. We shall prevail!" He yelled out to the empty room.

~*~

Me: Well, this is the first chappy of the ficcie! I'll try to have the 2nd chappie up soon!

Tyson with his mouth full of food: Don't forget to read and review so Sakura88 knows how she's doing with the starting chapter!

Me: Well, sayonara for now and I'll be back soon with the 2nd chappy! Bubbles!!


	2. Life and Death

Me: Sup all? I decided to move my environment from my house to the warm, sunny outside at the beach! We're havin' a beach party!! ^O^ Sorry bout the previous chappy tho. I kno it's so short! Dun worry cuz I'm gonna have them longer! :)

*Kai walks up*

Kai in his usual attire: WHAT?!?!??! Great, just great. Now that I'm in the public, all these fan girls are going to come after me. -_-; 

Ray in his Drigger swimming trunks: Just chill out Kai, have a little fun once in a while.

Kai: FUN?!?!? *vein pops out* FUN?? Why the hell should we have fun?? We should be practising to be the best of the best!!!!

Mariah in her pink, 2 piece swimsuit: KAI!! JUST FRICKIN' CHILL ALL RIGHT???? *fangs showing*

Kai: O.O Yes ma'am! *sits quietly, watching out for any fan girls that are after him*

Me: *sweatdrops* Yes... anyways, does anyone know where Max or Tyson is?

Kenny: *typing away on his laptop* Where do they go to get sugar and food?

Me: Uhh... the ice cream stand? 

Kenny: Bingo.

Me: Ha... the ice cream stand. O.O THE ICE CREAM STAND?!?!??! GREAT SWEET MOTHER OF PEARL!!! KENNY, GET THEM BACK HERE NOW!!!!!

Kenny: Ok but I better get paid for this!! *runs off*

Me: Geez. They think that I'm made of money or something... *has a 20 dollar bill in her shorts* Anyways, here are mah replies to da reviews:

Sakura— O.o Errrm... maybe in another story. I'll think about the idea tho!

Panda— Well, you got ur wish! He's in the side fic lol. I dunno... Kai is currently busy right now running away from the fangirls chasing after him. *points at Kai running away from the crowd of fangirls screaming, "WE LOVE U KAI!!" Mariah... maybe she'll live, maybe she won't...

Kawaii-Kirei— Yea, it kinda seemed weird that he was screaming his butt off when no one was even listening! -_-; Mariah is currently looking over my shoulder right now as I'm typing this on my laptop... and she doesn't seem to be too pleased...

Mariah: WHAT?!?!??! VOLTAIRE SENT ONE OF HIS WOMEN TO GET MY RAY?!?!?!? *Fire in her eyes and sees Voltaire in the distance writing out his latest plan in the sand with a stick* VOLTAIRE!!! YOU ARE DEAD!!!!! *Takes out her blade and launches it* GALUX!! CAT SCRATCH ATTACK AT VOLTAIRE!!!

Voltaire: AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! *starts running away from Galux and Mariah*

Ray: Mariah!! Come back!! *Runs after Voltaire and Mariah, and Galux*

Kai: AHHHH!!!! HELP!!!! *is still running away from the fan girls*

Neko Girl— Well, you don't have to wait much longer! The 2nd chappie is under here!

Fire Spirit— Not a well-made cliffhanger but I guess it's ok lol.

Laura— It's out underneath! Thanks for da comment!

Well, on to the chapter everyone! 

Disclaimer: Remember, I do not own Beyblade. It's owned by the person who thought of this genius show and beyblades lol. And, it's 912, not 911, it's 912!!

'thoughts'

"speaking"

~~Time Change~~

Running Out of Time 

**_Chapter 2- Life and Death_**

A boy at the age of 14 sat on a bench in the back of an ambulance truck, caressing his girlfriend's soft cheeks. The girl had an oxygen mask on with water vapour on it from breathing into it. There were two paramedics who were watching her closely while stopping the blood from flowing out of the wound like water flowing out of a tap. Ray Kon looked once more at Mariah's body moving up and down, knowing that she was still alive. He leaned his head back at the truck's white walls and closed his eyes. He saw not blackness but what had previously happened to end up where he was right now. Bitbeast helping bitbeast, Mariah getting injured, all the bey battles, and the rain all flashed through his mind like the fireworks at the Fourth of July. He couldn't get rid of them; he couldn't chuck it out in the garbage, he couldn't lose it in a crowd, or get it stolen from him. He could only leave it inside him and get on with the present, which is now. Up at the front, his friends were having a discussion... well, almost everyone.

"Can someone tell me where a restaurant is? I hafta eat!" Tyson complained as his stomach rumbled loudly.

"Can you think of anything else other than food and your stomach Tyson?" Kai growled and gave Tyson a cold glare. "We have better things to think about other than your stomach."

"Well, sorry Mr. Sourpuss. I'm a growing boy you know! All growing boys need a lot of food."

"Maybe you can feed your head instead and grow a bigger brain!"

"Can you guys stop yelling at each other for once and focus on the problem at hand right now?" Kenny asked with Max nodding his head at what Kenny said.

"Right. First of all, why did Voltaire get a team of beybladers to try to defeat us and not get the Demolition Boys instead?" Tyson asked.

"What did happen to them anyways? Kai, do you know?" Max inquired.

"Well, I'm not quite sure what happened to failed teams. I only remember that if a team did not please my grandfather, they would be disposed of. They were never seen again in the Abbey."

"Maybe they were erased of their memories of working there and got sent back home." Tyson suggested.

"It could be a possibility." Kai nodded. Kenny was about to say something when the truck stopped. They looked ahead and saw that they had reached the hospital.

"Here we are. Everyone, get off." The driver told them. They nodded and one by one, got off. As they were getting off, the stretcher was out of the back of the truck and was already headed to the doors of the hospital with Ray not far behind.

"Ray! Wait up!" Kenny yelled and started running with everyone else behind him to catch up. Ray was running beside the stretcher until it reached the operation room. He stopped at the doors as Max and company finally caught up to him. The red light was turned on, signifying that an operation was in progress. Ray's shoulders slumped and he took a seat not far from the operation. Tyson, Max, Kai, and Kenny also took a seat. Tyson put a hand on Ray's shoulder.

"Don't worry pal. Mariah's strong and she wouldn't surrender her life without a fight."

"You're right Tyson, we should have faith in her, and not give up." Ray wiped his tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. "Thanks."

"Anytime man. I'm gonna get something to eat from the vending machines. Anyone, need anything?"

"Fritos, Tex-Mex flavoured Twists please." Max said.

"Vanilla Coke." Kenny told Tyson without looking up from his screen.

"Coffee Crisp." Kai said.

"Ray you want anything?"

"Huh, wha?" Ray broke out of his zoned-out state and looked up at Tyson.

"I asked do you want anything?"

"Uh... hot chocolate please. Thanks. Tyson."

"You're welcome. Well, I'm off." Tyson left in search for the vending machines.

Tyson came back 20 minutes later with the requested items in his hands. They nodded their thanks and Tyson settled down with a bag of Hickory sticks, Doritos, Tropical Skittles, and Old Dutch Pickle Flavoured chips, along with a bottle of Fruitopia, Nestea Iced Tea, Mountain Dew, Pepsi Twist, and Barq's Root Beer.

Everyone but Ray (who was zoned out again at the moment) stared at Tyson stuffing his face with the Hickory Sticks.

"What? I'm hungry!" Tyson said that statement while shoving more Hickory Sticks into his mouth. Max, and Kenny fell down, anime style. Kai just closed his eyes and crossed his arms, pretending that he hadn't heard, or seen anything.

~~Two Hours Later~~

"I think I'm going to be sick." Tyson's face was green and he had his hand over his mouth. 

"Serves him right for cramming his mouth with food as if there was no tomorrow." Kai smirked at Tyson's current state. There was a strange sound and Tyson ran towards the men's room. (A.N.: Everyone knows that sound... I hope...)

Max was currently talking to Emily through his cell phone, Kai was launching his beyblade and commanding Dranzer to do his special attacks, Kenny was talking to Dizzi and researching the Dark Vipers' bitbeasts and Ray was thinking hard and staring into space at the same time. He kept on glancing at the 'Operation in Progress' sign to see if it was over yet but he looked at it with despair. After a few minutes, he takes out his wallet and looks at a picture in one of the slots. It was of Mariah. Her long pink hair was down and the ends of it were curled up towards her arms. She was wearing a pink Chinese-style dress that fell to her knees with a slit on the sides for easy movement. The little bit of hope that he had left in his heart fell into a deep void of darkness like a dark hole. The feeling of defeat was starting to spread throughout his soul, leaving nothing but hopelessness in his body until he stopped thinking of dark things.

'No! I must stay strong for Mariah's sake!' Ray thought to himself and the feeling of hope rekindled once more inside his body.

At 2 o'clock in the morning, the surgeon that was working in the operation room stepped out. Ray saw this and bolted out of his seat in stood in front of the doctor.

"Are you Ray Kon?" The doctor asked. Ray nodded.

"I have something to tell you."

The feeling of dread inside Ray started settling in as he braced for what the doctor would say next.

"Mariah is in…"

______

Me: Ha ha! A real cliffhanger this time!

Ray: O.O WHAT?!?!??! *starts shaking Sakura88* WHY?? WHY A CLIFFHANGER?!??!

Me: Cuh-cuh-cuz it's wor-wor-worth, the wai-wai-wait?

Ray: IF MY MARIAH DIES, YOU GO WITH HER!!! *takes out his Driger blade* YOU HEAR ME??

Me: Gulp... I'll think about it...

Ray: THINK ABOUT IT?? *launches his blade* DRIGER, ATTACK!!

Me: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! *starts running* HELP!!!

Mariah: Well, guess I get to say this: Review and tell Sakura88 how's she doing with this fic so far! O yea, Sakura88?

Me: Yea? *is still running*

Mariah: YOU BETTER NOT KILL ME OR I GET GALUX TO ATTACK YOU!!!!! *takes out her blade*

Me: O_O AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'M DOOMED!!!!! *T_T*


	3. The Stage is Set!

Me: *Clanks in with shining armour all over*

Max: What's with the shiny stuff Sakura?

Me: Just in case viewers throw stuff at me for not updating for a LONG time. -_-;

Kai: Yea, well, just stay away from me. I don't want you to ruin my cleanly pressed clothes.

Me: Meh. *Reaches for Kai's scarf*

Kai: NO TOUCHEY!!! *glares*

Me: Fine. I won't touch them because someone else will. *Evil smile* Oh Pisces Panda!

Pisces Panda: You called?

Me: I would like you to meet someone.

PP: Oh, oh!! Let me guess; don't tell me. It's Tama-baby from Fushigi Yugi!! ^O^

Tamahome: _ I have a name and 'Tama-baby' is not part of it! Okay?!?!

PP: Okay, ok. Geez, you don't have to get personal about it!

Me: Well, it's not Tamahome. It's someone else.

PP: Hmm…oh! It has to be Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing! He is such a hottie! ^O^

Me: *sweatdrops* You must suck at guessing. -_-; I'll just tell you. It's Kai.

PP: O_O

Kai: O.O

PP: KAI!!! ^O^ *Glomps Kai*

Kai: Ahh!! Get off me!!

Me: Um…while PP is err…glomping Kai, here are my replies:

Alflirtbabe— I know, that's why I'm updating right now. Such a big threat; but can you back that statement up with action? *Plastic knives fly out of nowhere and pokes many holes in the armour* O_O Guess you can…Gulp…note to self, get new armour too.

Pluto Cat on Earth aka Black Hell Dog—Thanks! I'm updating! Guess PP and you can form a glomping club lol.

Pisces Panda: Kinda busy glomping Kai! Greet me for me!

Kai: Harrumph.

Me: Ok.

Pisces Panda— You better not kill me! You got Kai right now…

PP: Don't worry! ^_^

Dark Willow (aka: Admiral2)— That's why I'm taking revenge on the cliffhangers! MWAHAAHAAHAAHAA!! Hope you read the next chappie! :)

Kawaii-kirei— Scary threat…*pulls out a shield* I'm updating, I'm updating!

KK: I see you are.

Me: O.O How'd you get here?

KK: I heard the stork brought me! ^_^

Me: Right… -_-; Moving on…

Daisy-chan*Mistress of Evil— You'll find out soon enough…mwaa haa haa haa haa!

Mariah: If Ray sprouts a single grey hair on his head, I'll make sure you suffer for it Sakura!! *glares*

Me: Yes ma'am. *Gulp…*

Mariah_and_ray_fan— Errg…another threat…I thought there's only one Galux…

Galux: Her Galux is my twin sister!

Me: Ohhhh dear…

The FireFox— Thanks! I'm glad I'm doing well on this fic! ^_^

Wounds of Wind aka YingYang Girl—Arigato! I'm not too good at this, but I'll try!

Me: I don't think I have to reply to you again right PP?

PP: Nope, you don't have to. :)

Curtis Zidane Ziraa— I'm updating now… and it's been like… *counts* about 8 months before I updated. I feel guilty. T-T

Daisy-chan*Mistress of Evil (again)—Yea, I had a great time in America. :)

Kintora— Thanks for digging out my sequel! I'm glad that many people are reading my fanfics. Yep, it has ended… oh yeah! 8 months ago! -_-;

Inuyasha/Duo— The cliffhanger has now ended. The answer is down there.

Nina—The answer is down there as I stated above.

Me: Well, onto the fic!

Ray: AHHH!!!! I got a grey hair!! *Runs around screaming while Tyson attempts to hide the can of grey paint and paintbrush from view*

Mariah: O_O SAKURA!!!!

Me: Eeep! *Runs off*

Disclaimer: I do not own beyblades, Marmalade Boy, the song "Breathe" by Michelle Branch, and the Beyblade characters. Remember, blue cheese is made from blue cows!!

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

~~Time Change~~

Running Out of Time 

**_Chapter 3: The Stage is Set!!!_**

"She is in…" The doctor started saying.

The first three words felt like an eternity to Ray. It sounded as if the doctor was speaking at snail pace, not caring if someone died in the process, as long as he finished his sentence first. His heart beat faster and faster, hoping that he was not going to hear the words he dreaded the most. A horrible feeling dropped into his stomach and Ray began to feel sick. Did she survive the operation? Is her heart beating abnormally? Is she alive? Ray held his breath as the doctor finished talking.

"Stable condition. She may be sleeping right now but you can visit her in about half an hour."

Ray exhaled an air of relief while the others cheered quietly so they did not bother the other patients. Ray wanted to run down the hallway, cheering his head off, open every door to the rooms, which had patients in them and tell the whole world that Mariah was alright. But he stopped himself and in a calm manner answered back, "Thank you Doctor…"

"Doctor Evans."

"Okay. Thank you Doctor Evans."

"You're welcome. She is in room 209. Now if you excuse me, I have to tend to another patient." The doctor walked off leaving a relieved group of teens behind.

Half an hour passed by quickly and the Bladebreakers took an elevator to the rooms upstairs. They walked along a well-lit corridor, with shiny tiled floors, nurses, green plants that were well watered and plenty of doors. (A.N.: No duh!) They stopped in front of the door that was labelled 209 in shiny gold numbers similar to the ones tacked onto houses. Ray knocked twice.

"Come in!" A cheerful voice replied.

The five boys opened the door and saw Mariah leaning against a large white pillow, reading the manga, "Marmalade Boy, Volume 2." The curtains were closed since it was past midnight. The television was also off but the digital clock radio upon a smooth white side table was on and it was currently playing, "Breathe" by Michelle Branch. A small silver lamp emitted light and brightened up the room.

"How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" Ray asked.

"I'm fine. Just a bit of pain around my stomach. And no, I don't need anything. Thanks." Mariah was in a baby blue hospital gown that reached to her ankles. Her pink hair was tied up in a braid with her signature pink ribbon. Her face was a little pale but her gold eyes were as bright as ever. The others with the exception of Kai (A.N.: He thinks he's too cool for this) crowded around her bed asking how she was doing while Ray was sitting on it, holding her hand tightly as if she would die if he let go. Fifteen minutes later, a nurse came in, telling the group that they had ten minutes left before they had to leave. They nodded in thanks and the nurse left the room. They continued talking for another five minutes and Kai spoke up.

"I suggest we leave the two lovebirds alone for the last five minutes."

Ray and Mariah blushed at the comment as Tyson and Max added catcalls for extra effect. They all wished Mariah a speedy recovery (A.N.: Yes, even Kai folks!) and all but Ray left the room and closed the door shut. When the door was completely closed, Tyson immediately pressed his ear against the door.

"Tyson! What are you doing??" Kenny cried out hysterically.

"Listening in so I can later blackmail Ray!" Tyson's face was fixed in a mischievous manner.

"Just leave them alone." Kai began to walk towards the elevator.

"But Kaaaaaaaaiiiiiiii…" Tyson whined but soon followed along with the others.

~~Back in the room~~

"Are you sure you don't need anything Mariah?"

"I'm sure Ray. Don't worry too much. I'll be okay."

"I can't stop worrying about you. I almost lost you once back at the park." Ray pulled her towards him and gave her a hug.

"Don't worry Ray. I won't go anywhere. Where would an injured girl go anyways? To the mall?"

"I don't know how your mind works. You might suddenly disappear on me." They both chuckled and stayed in the hugging position until the last few minutes passed.

"Well I got to go. I'll visit you tomorrow okay?" Ray got up as she nodded. He planted a kiss on her forehead and waved goodbye as he left the room. The nurse entered right after.

"Well, that was a nice visit. The young man that just left, was he your brother?"

Mariah shook her head. "He's my boyfriend."

"He's one fine guy. If I wasn't married yet, I would be running after him." The nurse winked. "Don't lose sight of him or you may lose him forever. He is one of the rare ones that is pure of heart and has the looks to go with it. Here are the pills you have to take. Now, get some rest hun. The more rest you get, the faster you'll heal."

Mariah smiled and nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

"I'll close the door on the way out. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Mariah turned off the lamp and lay under the sheets. She was not completely asleep yet. She replayed the incident from 24 hours ago in her mind. She stopped at the kiss. Absentmindedly, she moved her left hand towards her lips and she smiled. "Wo Ai Ni Ray," she whispered to herself and fell asleep with the happy memories of her and Ray in her dreams.

Outside below, a mysterious figure stood in the shadows with a cell phone in his hand. The cell phone rang twice. He answered. There were minutes of silence. After he replied, "Hai. Hai. I understand. It will happen in two days. Hai. Sayonara." He shut it off and looked at the window that was Mariah's room. "It won't be long now." He walked deeper into the darkness.

_________

Notes:

Hai: Yes

Sayonara: Goodbye

Me: Well, that's the third chappie. I have chapter 4 in progress, but I don't know when I'll post it up. 

Mariah and Ray: TYSON!! YOU COME BACK HERE!!! *Runs after Tyson*

Tyson: AHHH!!!!!!

Max: Don't forget to review! And eat sugar every hour!! ^O^

Kai: Gerroff me Pisces Panda!!

PP: Never!!! 

KK: Guess everyone's happy currently…

Me: Yea, I guess, with the exception of Kai and Ray, and Tyson. But the running will do him good. He needs the exercise. *chuckles* Well, tell me what you think of this chapter, and I may have an idea for a mini contest kind of thing when it arrives. Happy reading! Ja ne!!


	4. Disappearing Act

**AN:** I admit it. I'm a liar. I said I would type up this chapter since 2 years ago, but it's about 3 years later until I update… sigh. Since I can't reply to the reviews that are three years old (or less) on the fanfiction either, I'll reply to the reviews directly. Anyways, to those who are still reading it, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the very long wait!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Beyblades, MacDonalds, and the movie, "Agent Cody Banks" and the Beyblade characters except for my own. Chicken wings don't fly, but with umbrellas they do!

'Thoughts'

"Speaking"

-----Time change-----

**Running Out of Time**

**_Chapter 4: Disappearing Act_**

The next morning, the sunlight shone through the curtains of Mariah's room. But it wasn't the sun that woke Mariah up; it was the knocking at the door.

"Come in!"

The door handle turned and in came Ray with a bouquet of flowers, a MacDonald's bag, and a movie.

"Ohayo Mariah-chan!"

"Ohayo Ray-kun! Where is everyone else? I thought they would be with you."

"Well, Tyson is still snoring his head off, Max went for his morning jog for some air, if you know what I mean. Kenny and Dizzi are testing some new launchers they created, and Kai is looking for some hot pepper to get Tyson to wake up just as I left. By the way, these flowers are for you, and I rented _Agent Cody Banks_ so we could watch it together."

"The roses are beautiful! Arigato Ray! Hilary Duff is one of my favourite actors in that movie!" Mariah smiled.

"I knew that, so I rented it out for you. Want to start watching it right now?"

"Sure!"

Ray inserted the video into the VCR and as the video was going through the previews, Ray took out two breakfast burritos, and two steaming cups of coffee, handing one to Mariah. She cuddled up to Ray as the movie began and Ray placed an arm around her. Throughout the movie, Ray commented on Frankie Muniz's martial arts moves, and Mariah laughed at the humorous parts. As the credits rolled at the end of the movie, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?" Mariah asked.

"It's Max, Emily, Tyson, and Kai." Max's voice answered.

"I'll get the door." Ray got off the bed and turned the doorknob.

"So that's where you've been all this time! Cooped up with Maria for about three hours! We thought you were being considerate, buying the groceries for me so I wouldn't have to go! Ow!" Tyson teased, then winced in pain when Kai smacked Tyson on the head.

"It was you who said it." Kai said with a huff. "Don't drag me into your stupid thoughts."

"Why would he do that anyways? It's your turn this week. Anyways, he would rather be with Mariah than look at leeks. Right Ray?" Max looked at him, and Ray smiled and gave he thumbs-up sign.

"Wah! Mariah-chan! How are you doing? Are you getting better? Max told me all about it! The Dark Vipers are so evil, trying to kill you! How could they do that to you and Ray?" Emily was hugging Mariah as she was saying this.

"I'm doing okay. Just felt a little abdominal pain then. But otherwise, I'm fine."

"A little abdominal pain?" Ray rushed over. "Does it hurt a lot? I'll get the nurse."

"No need to worry. It's gone now."

"It might come back. I'll get the nurse anyways."

"Ray is fussing over Mariah like a mother hen and her chick. Isn't that sweet Maxie?" Emily sighed as she took hold of Max's hand. The couple that she was referring to blushed.

"Well, Max and you make such a cute couple." Mariah replied. This time, the other couple's cheeks turned pink.

"Ack! This is getting too mushy for me! I'm going to excuse myself to get some Dill Pickle Chips." Tyson left the room.

"I'll wait outside." Kai also left and he shut the door behind him.

"We should get going too. Everyone's planning to go Edo Amusement Park. Do you want to come along?" Max asked.

"Sure. Just give me a few minutes."

"Okay. Get well soon Mariah-chan!" Emily hugged her once more and the couple walked out of the room.

"I'll get the nurse." Ray pressed a cube-shaped button near Mariah's bed.

"Yes?" The speaker cracked into life, and a voice was heard.

"Hi, I would like a nurse in room 209 please." Ray spoke into it.

"A nurse will be there in about seven minutes."

"Okay, thanks." He released the pressure from the button. Ray sat upon the bed again, and beckoned Mariah to place her head on his lap.

"So, what should I do now Mommy?" Mariah teased.

"Well, first off, you will need lots of rest. Second, you need this." Ray leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead. "My grandmother once told me that for every kiss you place on someone, it has to be sealed with a promise or a wish. So my first promise is to be with you as long as I live." He then gave Mariah a kiss on the cheek. "My wish to you is that you will heal quickly." Finally, he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. He was about to speak when he was cut off by three sharp knocks of the door. The knob turned and a different nurse walked in.

"The nurse at the desk said that there was a cal from here." She explained. "Anything wrong?"

"Just a little abdominal pain, that's all. But a certain someone thought it was serious." Mariah smiled at Ray, who put his right arm behind his head embarrassingly.

"Hey, I'm just looking out for you."

The nurse chuckled. "Let me get it checked for you."

"Okay." Mariah replied.

"I should get going. You know how Tyson is when he's not eating." Ray rolled his eyes as Mariah laughed. As the laughter subsided, she remembered something.

"Oh yeah, what was that third wish you were going to tell me?

"I'll tell you when you're out of the hospital."

"Pinky promise?"

"Of course." He clasped his pinky finger with hers. "Now you get better."

She nodded and with a final wave, he left. The nurse waited for them to finish and when Ray walked out of the room, she smiled at Mariah. "Now, tell me where the abdominal pain is."

-----

Ray got home at around eight o'clock. The amusement park was fun, but he felt that it wasn't as great without Mariah there to enjoy it also. He dropped the house keys on the table, and noticed a note from his mother.

'_My friends and I have gone out to play mah-jong and won't be back until midnight. Your supper of spaghetti and meatballs is in the fridge. Put in the microwave on high for three minutes. Love you!_

_Mom_'

He went to the fridge, took out the spaghetti and meatballs and went to microwave it. While it was heating up, he went over to the answering machine to see if there were any messages. A monotone voice spoke as he pressed the button.

"You have one new message." With that, clicks were heard and the message was played.

"This is Dr. Evans from Urmeshi Hospital calling to tell you that Mariah has been moved to another hospital. It seems that the pain was from the stitches last night. They have come open so we have to do an operation on her. Unfortunately, our technology is not state of the art, so as said before, she has been moved. Please come talk to me later. Thank-you. Goodbye." The message ended.

'I knew something was wrong with that pain!' Ray thought to himself. 'I need to find out where the hospital is.' The microwave dinged and he placed the contents into a plastic container to take on the go. With that, he took the house keys and rushed to the hospital.

-----

Out of breath twenty minutes later, he told the receptionist that he wanted to speak with the doctor.

"He'll be out shortly," she replied. "Please wait."

"Thanks."

Ray paced around the floor until Dr. Evans came out to him.

"What can I do for you son?" Dr. Evans asked when he walked up to Ray.

"I got a message from you on my answering machine saying that Mariah got transferred to another hospital. I was wondering which hospital it is."

The doctor stared at him blankly.

"What message? I didn't make a phone call to you regarding about Mariah at all."

"What?"

"In fact, she was in her room when I last checked on her about forty-five minutes ago."

"That's weird…"Ray commented.

"Would you like to come along? I'm making my hourly rounds right now."

"Sure."

They headed off to Mariah's room, Ray's heart racing madly. 'If he didn't leave the message, who did? I hope she's alright.'

When the doctor opened the door to the room, both gasped. Ray dropped his container to the floor with a resounding clack.

The wind blew hard on the curtains, which were covering the wide-open window. Upon the bed was a white envelope with Ray's name on it, her hair ribbon lying on top of it.

There was no one else.

Dr. Evans quickly pressed the emergency button in the room. "Call security immediately! A patient has gone missing!"

Ray stood there unmoving, pale as death, mouth agape.

The wind continued to blow.

-----

**Translations:**

Ohayo: Good morning

Arigato(u): Thanks

**AN:** Five pages! Uwah! Read and Review! Until next time, ja ne!


End file.
